Loans and credit products

The main types of loans and credit available to Australian businesses and consumers.

28 terms in this topic

Business loan

A business loan is finance for business operations, capital expenditure or growth, repaid with interest, either over an agreed term or as a revolving limit you draw and repay.

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Car loan

A car loan is a credit contract used to buy a vehicle: the lender provides the funds and you repay them over time with interest.

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Commercial loan

A commercial loan is credit provided to a company, trust or other business structure to fund business activities such as property, equipment or working capital, not personal spending.

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Credit card

A credit card is a form of revolving credit that lets you borrow up to a pre-approved limit for purchases, cash advances or short-term finance.

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Debt consolidation loan

A debt consolidation loan is a personal loan used to pay out several existing debts, such as credit cards and payday loans, leaving one repayment.

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Fees

Fees are the explicit charges a provider applies for a financial product or service, separate from interest and covering access, administration or transactions.

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Fittings

Fittings are items in a property that are not part of the permanent structure and can be removed without substantial damage, whether freestanding or only lightly attached.

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Fixtures

Fixtures are items attached to land or a building so firmly that they are treated as part of the real property rather than as movable chattels.

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Funder

A funder is the party that provides the capital behind a lease or loan and carries the credit risk, whether or not it is the entity named on the contract.

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Funding

Funding is the capital a business uses to start, run or grow, raised as debt, equity, grants or alternative finance.

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Hard asset

A hard asset is a tangible, physical item with intrinsic value, such as a truck or a machine, that lenders can inspect, value and take as security.

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Home loan

A home loan is a secured loan used to buy property or fund major home projects, with the lender taking a mortgage over the property as security.

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Line of credit

A line of credit is a revolving credit facility with an approved limit that you can draw, repay and redraw, paying interest only on the drawn balance.

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Mortgage

A mortgage is the legal charge a lender registers over property to secure a loan, giving it the right to sell the property if you default.

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Overdraft

An overdraft is a short-term credit facility attached to a transaction account that lets you spend past your available balance up to an agreed limit.

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Payday loan

A payday loan is a small, unsecured loan meant to cover an immediate shortfall, usually repaid over a short term timed around your pay cycle.

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Personal loan

A personal loan is a fixed term loan for personal expenses, repaid in regular instalments over an agreed period, usually principal and interest.

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Plant and machinery

Plant and machinery means the tangible assets a business uses to make, move, process or service things, such as excavators, forklifts and CNC machines.

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Portfolio

A portfolio is a grouped set of loans, leases and the assets behind them, held by one lender or lessor and managed together for reporting, risk and performance.

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Purchase price

A purchase price is the agreed consideration a buyer pays a seller for an asset, and it forms the base figure for finance, depreciation and tax.

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Reverse mortgage

A reverse mortgage is a secured loan that lets an older homeowner borrow against the equity in their home, with no regular repayments while they live there.

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Revolving credit

Revolving credit is a form of credit that lets you draw, repay and redraw funds up to a pre-set limit, with minimum monthly repayments.

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Secured loan

A secured loan is a loan backed by an asset the lender can repossess and sell if the borrower defaults, which usually lowers the cost.

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Short term loan

A short term loan is credit with a relatively small principal and a short repayment horizon, usually twelve months or less.

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Soft asset

A soft asset is a business asset with limited resale or repossession value, such as a fit-out, IT hardware, office furniture or a software licence.

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Soft costs

Soft costs are the indirect expenses of a construction project: professional fees, approvals, finance and marketing costs that support delivery but are not built into the fabric.

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Term loan

A term loan is a lump sum advanced up front and repaid in scheduled instalments of principal and interest over a set term.

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Unsecured loan

An unsecured loan is credit you borrow without pledging collateral, so the lender relies on your income, credit history and capacity to repay.

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